What Shotgun For Trap???

[runningboard]

Do you know if I can fit one of those bead type sights like I've seen on some O/U that go in the middle of the barrel to one of my Escorts.

I have some stick-on fiber optic ones on my pump actions I use for hunter education and they work pretty good for keeping your head down as you can't see it at all if your head isnt down where it's supposed to be.

[jumpin]

A second bead is a good trainer for your ancor point, EZ money. Pointing your finger some times helps. Most importantly, Position your feet for the best balance and swing mobility.

[Jburke]

Can you get a 32 inch barrel for your current shotgun?  I won the Nevada state championship with my regular 870 and a trap barrel.  Lots of guys laughed at me.  It is how you shoot that counts, not the gun.  As you get into it more, some of the guys will get to know you and you may get to try a few different guns before you plunk down serious cash.

A friend of mine used his 870 and did better than most of the people using the fancier more expensive guns.  Hell, I used a mossberg 500 with a short turkey barrel for awhile and it still hit the clays the same as any other gun.  I personally would use whatever gun you hunt with.  If you feel like spending extra cash down the line then so be it, but it makes more sense to me to get the practice in with a gun I already know and hunt with.   

[AWS]

A trap grade pump will work very well fo you and not break the bank.  If anyone tells you otherwise you might show them this link.  Rudy Etchen did all this with his Model 12's and 870's.

http://www.joeletchenguns.com/records.htm

AWS

I have and 870 Trap Barrel, stoch and forend that i will sell if anyone wants to convert their 870 to a Trap gun.

[uplandhunter870]

i shot a lot of ATA shoots back when and did pretty good. as for a trap gun i would wait until you are absolutely positive trap is a hobby you really want to pursue, trap guns get pretty spendy.

for a newbie the most prevalent problem i used to see was people lifting their head and not following through. you have to keep your head down or you will watch that bird sail away 99% of the time. as for the follow through think of it this way when you hit a baseball you dont stop swinging the bat right at impact, you follow the swing through same idea in trap.

also in trap and all shotgun sports your swing should be created by your hips, moving your entire upper body. swinging with your arms will create alot  of problems.

to keep my post short if you have any questions about trap shooting PM me and i will be more than happy to help you out

[trippledigitss]

No I have never shot a bow. I did shoot a pattern board in the class. Everything seemed to hit fairly centered over all but he did say the majority was up & left - which is where I usually hit the birds, left side or front edge. I am almost certain I dont get face against it and keep my head down. I need to think about slowing down and keep that in mind evey time. I was thinking about putting a small pad or something on the stock as a reminder?

Up and left? You are right handed, correct;  and you do better with targets moving right to left; correct? Right handers pull the gun into their face on right to left targets giving them the correct gun mount. Targets moving left to right you will tend to push the gun away from your face thus losing your sight pattern. 

Yes I am right handed. But I havent noticed doing better on one type than the other. I will have to pay more attention

[Bigshooter]

If you are having a hard time keeping your head down.  Put the stock right under your cheek bone and pull your head down tight to it.  I use to be a head puller on left handed birds and this was the only way that i could figure out how to keep my head down.  After I did this I went from a 21 or 22 out of 25 guy to 25 out of 25 guy.

As far as buying a new shotgun, I would just keep shooting what you have.  And try to get guys to let you shoot what they have until you find something you really like.  I started with a pump, then went to a autoloader, and ended up with an o/u.  I believe that an o/u is the way to go but you need to find out what you like.

Keep us up todate on how your shooting is going.

[trippledigitss]

OK - I will try that and see how it goes. I was going to head out last night but I've had this ear infection since friday and my ears are plugged with liquid. Plus the dr told me to stay home & take it easy.... so I have been avoiding all the yardwork & stuff so I know my wife would flip me $*!t if I went out there!  (nah, not really, she's pretty cool)

At that class I went to , one of the 1st things the guy did was checked how we mounted the gun. He said I was not down on it enough and too far back. Then I got too tight and had my eye over the side of the gun. I was thinking a pad and 2nd bead would help to remind me to get into the right place.

Thanks for all the help guys, I will try to really keep my head down and pay attention to what I am doing and let you know how its going. The new gun is on hold for now but still thinking about it in the back of my mind! 

[trippledigitss]

No I have never shot a bow. I did shoot a pattern board in the class. Everything seemed to hit fairly centered over all but he did say the majority was up & left - which is where I usually hit the birds, left side or front edge. I am almost certain I dont get face against it and keep my head down. I need to think about slowing down and keep that in mind evey time. I was thinking about putting a small pad or something on the stock as a reminder?

Up and left? You are right handed, correct;  and you do better with targets moving right to left; correct? Right handers pull the gun into their face on right to left targets giving them the correct gun mount. Targets moving left to right you will tend to push the gun away from your face thus losing your sight pattern. 

Yep - went out last night and I think I was hitting more right to left birds and the fairly straight out ones

[trippledigitss]

Well I finally got out again last night but only shot 3 lines. Man I SUCK! Was shooting in the same scores, 11, 9 , 8.    I was getting worse the more I went and it was getting late so I called it a night.
 
I dont know what the hell I am doing. I tried to pull my face down tight everytime, look 2-3ft above the house, and shoot ASAP. I did try the 'point vs aim' method and I was actually hitting a couple that way. Also, I noticed one time on a hard left bird I got ahead of it by 1 or 2 feet and pulled the trigger almost by mistake and SPLAT! But when I tried leading a few more I missed?    Another thing I am having trouble with is shooting with both eyes open. I was able to get the hang of it during the class but when I try it on line I always miss so I do it once or twice then go back to one eye.
 
I did talk with a few guys for awhile and they gave me some good info but I'm still at the stage where I forget everything once I get on line and have no idea what I did right or wrong to hit or miss - or even what I did at all. It is so darn frustrating when I miss 3-4 in a row and at every station!    I just feel completely rushed once I say pull and like I'm jumping at them or something when I shoot. Plus I shot with a few people that were like hitting 23-24, I guess these people were champs, one lady was a Canadian champ and the club record holder, another dude had like a robo stock, and this younger lady was also really good. They were all really good and hitting every single one it seemed. Plus they didnt waste any time - it was like "pull"-BANG-splat, pull-bang-splat, then it comes to me............p u l l....................bang..........wsssssshhhh (nothing). So I felt even more under pressure.
 
But everyone is telling me the same thing. shoot the gun I have, basically just keep shooting shooting shooting & asking questions. I talked to one guy who was really nice, and really good too, I shot one time with just him and he shot 23 of 25 and went slow for me, real low pressure. But he was really cool and talked to me for 10-15 minutes. He was saying I should try & use a full choke, then when I hit it I know where I was aiming, plus it will make me a better shooter and give me more range for when they get farther away from me. I am going to try that next, I think I'll try & get out on saturday again.

[pianoman9701]

When I started shooting trap, I was shooting a Mossberg 500, the piece of crap model. When I bought an 11-87 Remington, my shooting improved immediately. "Shooting what you have" is not necessarily the best advice. If your gun isn't the right fit for you or is kicking the crap out of you every time you pull the trigger, consider going to a good gun shop and having the guy work with you to find a gun that fits you well and that will be good to shoot. I love my 11-87, but I also love to shoot my buddy's Binelli Super Black Eagle. If you have the means, check out different options. The 11-87 isn't the best gun out there, but I could afford it and it does a good job.

[trippledigitss]

I do have the means (and surely the wants!)    and was thinking about buying the Browning XT but many people have told me I should get better with what I have and save the money until I know I am going to be serious enough about shooting before buying a trap gun. I am shooting an Escort PS Magnum auto-loader with 28" barrel and modified choke.

[CP]

Some basics that worked for me.

•   Bend forward at the waist, this helps keep the head down
•   Start by aiming below the trap house, not at the line like you were probably told.  This allows more time to swing on the target, allows the target to get out there further (I shoot a tight choke) and helps you keep your gun moving through the target.
•   Use your hips to swing, especially for the left to right targets.
•   Don’t think too much, just shoot
•   Have fun

I’m just a 20 to 23 shooter, not interested in competition.  If find that my scores suffer if I switch guns or switch games but I just shoot trap to keep comfortable with my guns and I don’t care about the scores.  Your interests may differ. 

[trippledigitss]

Some basics that worked for me.

•   Bend forward at the waist, this helps keep the head down
•   Start by aiming below the trap house, not at the line like you were probably told.  This allows more time to swing on the target, allows the target to get out there further (I shoot a tight choke) and helps you keep your gun moving through the target.
•   Use your hips to swing, especially for the left to right targets.
•   Don’t think too much, just shoot
•   Have fun

I’m just a 20 to 23 shooter, not interested in competition.  If find that my scores suffer if I switch guns or switch games but I just shoot trap to keep comfortable with my guns and I don’t care about the scores.  Your interests may differ. 

Thanks for the tips. They told me to point the gun at the top edge of the house and look about 2-3 feet above it. "just" a 20 to 23 shooter?!?    That sounds pretty good to me! I just want to be better at hitting them, I am not interested in competing, at least not at this time, not sure if I'd want to even later if I was better. I just think it is fun to shoot them and better than a rifle on a paper target since you have instant results/gratification in seeing the birds break. I just dont get alot of those results!    I do see alot of the better shooters bend at the waist & lean forward, I will have to try that. I am pretty sure I do not swing with my hips. But the guy at the range did say I was standing correctly and swinging well, except I dont follow thru.

[CP]

Some of the folks I’ve shot with are up around 98% or better.  Good for them but I’ll never get there.
Keep at it and you’ll improve your scores.  Sounds like you are stopping your swing if you are having to put on a large lead to break them, or maybe you are looking back at your bead.  Try starting lower, below the house, to get, and keep, your gun moving.  Follow the clay if you miss, follow the rubble field if you hit.